The Book Nook
Survival, Alaskan Style
Given how the pandemic has left many feeling isolated, I debated the wisdom of recommending a book which mirrors those feelings. On the other hand, reading about someone else’s trouble beats focusing on your own, especially when it comes in the form of good fiction.
Kristin Hannah capably delivers a harrowing story of survival in “The Great Alone”, published in 2018. This tale of terror and redemption starts when a family moves to a remote part of Alaska, fueled by a dream of self-sufficiency and which regresses into a nightmare.
Ernt Allbright is a gifted mechanic and a former POW whose tour in Vietman transformed him from a happy person to a distant and volatile man. Unable to keep any job for long, he and his wife Cora and their 13-year-old daughter Leni have moved frequently to stay ahead of the bill-collectors.
When he learns he’s inherited land and a cabin in Alaska, he sees an opportunity to be a self-sufficient family. Cora is concerned, knowing that as winter days get shorter, so does Ernt’s temper. He assures her it will be different this time, promising to cut back on alcohol and find a support group. She agrees, hoping this move will be the one to restore him to his former self.
Alaska’s beauty is overwhelming, and while their property boasts a spectacular ocean view, the one-room cabin is a wreck and the yard is strewn with junk. The closest town is Kaneq and consists of a bar, a trading post, a church and a few ramshackle trailers or shacks connected by an old boardwalk.
A woman named Large Marge runs the trading post and from her they learn Kaneq is a tight-knit community of people who help each other. They also think she’s trying to scare them away with her warnings about wild animals and Alaskan winters.
The trio get to work fixing the cabin and clearing the long, impassible driveway, a challenge without electricity or running water. A few locals volunteer to help them prepare for winter, noting that being unprepared can be fatal. Leni and Cora are grateful for the company and the help, but Ernt interprets this as criticism of his competence.
Book-loving Leni happily discovers the town has a small school that’s open when weather permits. There she meets Matthew, a likeable boy her age whose presence makes her feel less alone. At home she’s busy with a large list of chores and learning how to use snowmobiles and guns. What she doesn’t know is how to navigate her increasingly troubling home life.
After meeting their neighbors, Ernt discards most offers of friendship and befriends a racist survivalist. Their first winter takes a heavy toll on his mental health as he battles insomnia and internal demons. Leni and Cora tiptoe around his dark moods and knowing their food supplies may not get them through winter makes matters worse.
As Ernt’s tolerance for people dwindles, he expects Cora and Leni to reject others as well. In spite of being close to her mother, Leni doesn’t understand why Cora makes excuses for her husband’s behavior. Leni’s growing love for Mathew gives her insights into inexplicable matters of the heart, but she wonders which is worse, the danger outside or within their cabin. If you see a recipe for disaster brewing, you’re absolutely right, and the rising tension propels the rest of the story, which is told mostly from Leni’s perspective.
If I were asked what I’d change about the book, I’d recommend not depicting characters as all good or all bad. It was a relief that the characters were not one-dimensional. While Ernt’s personality change is glossed over, the author does a better job of giving foundation to Cora’s classic codependent nature. That said, Hannah offers glimpses of strong, generous people who genuinely care for one another.
The plot also had a few moments of being unbelievable or predictable. Pacing was occasionally uneven but especially good in the first half. Huge up sides were wonderful prose and the alluring scenery descriptions. Leni’s problems are described in a way to keep readers turning pages and her romance with Matthew is reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet. The subject of love is a constant, as is how love can be manipulated into a pale and heartbreaking version of itself.
Hannah’s story contains some nice parallels with what we’re experiencing during the pandemic. One is that we’re strong and flexible. The other is seeing the spirit of cooperation and kindness which helps us all survive and thrive.
